Charles E. Hanger (February 23, 1924 – July 23, 1995) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player, known for his career as a collegian at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

(Cal) and as an All-American player in the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Hanger attended Berkeley High School in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

before moving to hometown Cal. After playing his first two seasons at Cal, Hanger enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

in 1943 to fight in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. While in combat in Belgium, Hanger was captured on December 19, 1944, and held until released by American forces in April 1945. Following his service, Hanger returned to the Bears' lineup for the 1946–47 and 1947–48 seasons. As a senior, he was honored as an All-Pacific Coast Conference selection alongside teammate Andy Wolfe. Following the close of his college career, Hanger was drafted by the

Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, th ...

in the 1948 BAA draft. However, he decided to instead play closer to home in the AAU, which was a common route for players of his generation. The 6'6" forward played for the Oakland Bittners and Oakland Blue n' Gold Atlas for four seasons. He won an AAU championship alongside Hall of Fame player Don Barksdale with the Bittners in 1949 and was twice named an AAU All-American (in 1949 and 1950). After leaving basketball, Hanger was an attorney in the Bay Area for over 30 years. He died on July 23, 1995.

References

External links

Cal Golden Bears HOF bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanger, Chuck 1924 births 1995 deaths Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players American men's basketball players American prisoners of war in World War II Basketball players from Berkeley, California Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni California Golden Bears men's basketball players California Golden Bears men's track and field athletes California lawyers Forwards (basketball) Minneapolis Lakers draft picks Sportspeople from Berkeley, California 20th-century American lawyers United States Army personnel of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany